1. Technical Field of the Invention
The system described herein relates in general to the optimal design of mechanical systems and in particular to the use of models and simulations during the design of a mechanical system in order to achieve optimal performance for mechanical system in robust operating conditions.
2. Background of the Invention
The creation of models of mechanical systems is well-known in the art. In the past, manufacturers designed and manufactured prototypes of mechanical systems whose performance could then be tested by operating them in a variety of operating conditions, mimicking actual operating conditions. For example, automobile manufacturers would create a number of prototypes of a new vehicle design, each of which could be operated on a proving ground to test its performance. These prototypes would be tested, modified, tested again, modified again, etc. until the designer was satisfied with the test results. This process was very time consuming and expensive and did not ensure that the manufacturer was obtaining the optimum design for that system, only that it was the best design of those tested.
Since the proliferation of computers, manufacturers utilized software programs to model the performance of mechanical systems. Manufacturers would create many models of a mechanical system by simply varying its design parameters. The performance of each of these models could then tested by a computer running a simulation software program. This simulation program would compile results of specified performance attributes for each model so that the designer could determine which of the models yielded the best performance. While better than the prototype process described above, this new process suffered from many of the same problems. It, too, was time consuming and required many simulations to find a satisfactory design. Furthermore, this process also did not ensure that the designer obtained the optimum design for the system, only that the design was the best design of those tested.